What Sen. Brown did or didn’t tell me about the Debt Bondage Repair Act

Helping human trafficking victims with their credit ratings.

If you read the post of August 3, 2021 – “You can help these victims without leaving home”, you’ll recall that I asked you to write your senators asking for passage of S2040 – the bill that prohibits a consumer reporting agency from reporting adverse credit information about a consumer that is the result of severe human trafficking.

There were links there to help you find and send a note to each of your two senators.

Well, for those who didn’t, or for those outside the State of Ohio, here’s what I heard back from Senator Sherrod Brown (D):

Dear Mr. Bardwell:
Thank you for contacting me about human trafficking. I remain committed in the fight to end this abhorrent crime.
We’ve seen the devastating effects that human trafficking has on people and communities in Ohio and across the country. We have a responsibility to do all we can to stop such modern day slavery and ensure that perpetrators of this despicable crime are brought to justice. We must also do more to ensure survivors have access to services and resources needed to rebuild their lives with dignity.
Survivors of human trafficking are even more vulnerable in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic. With unemployment, homelessness, and food insecurity on the rise, services and resources are not as accessible to survivors. Local organizations are working overtime to meet survivors’ needs with reduced funding and limited fundraising capacity, which is why I’ve worked to support key programs that help Ohioans combat trafficking and enhance crime victim services. I will continue to support programs funded under the Violence Against Women Act, Victims of Crimes Act, and the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act. Grant programs, such as those administered under the Department of Justice’s Services for Minor Victims of Labor Trafficking, have also helped Ohioans strengthen services for young people who are victims of labor trafficking.
As a member of the Senate Finance Committee, I continue to fight to increase protections for youth in our foster care system who are vulnerable and often targeted by traffickers, as well as support law enforcement and community-based organizations in bolstering efforts to prevent and respond to online child exploitation. In February 2021, I reintroduced the Invest in Child Safety Act, which would direct $5 billion in funding to investigate and target the pedophiles and abusers who create and share child sexual abuse material (CSAM) online and to increase support for Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Forces and other entities working to locate missing and exploited children.
Access to safe and stable housing remains a challenge for too many Americans. Housing instability and homelessness can make it that much harder for survivors to escape traffickers and heal. As chair of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, it is my top priority to expand access to affordable housing as well as address housing disparities. In 2020, I fought to secure emergency housing assistance to ensure survivors and families impacted by the pandemic are protected from eviction and are able to remain in their homes during a pandemic. I was also proud to work in partnership with Ohio foster youth and foster care alumni to introduce the bipartisan Fostering Stable Housing Opportunities Act, which was signed into law in December 2020. The law provides “on-demand” housing vouchers to foster youth who are at risk of homelessness as they transition from the foster care system. I also secured Housing Assistance Grants to help organizations in Ohio provide transitional housing assistance and job training for survivors of trafficking.
I’ve heard from survivors and advocacy groups across the state about the importance of doing all we can to protect vulnerable populations and prevent human trafficking. In 2019, I worked in partnership with survivors and advocates to introduce the bipartisan Protecting Rights of Those Exploited by Coercive Trafficking (PROTECT) Act, a bill that would make it clear that criminals who use drugs to lure individuals into sex or labor trafficking will be held accountable. The bill would also protect survivors of human trafficking from prosecution under this provision of the law.
Since serving in Congress, I’ve supported and co-sponsored anti-human trafficking initiatives that are now signed into law. This year’s National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) included a bipartisan provision I have been working on for years to give law enforcement more tools needed to help fight human trafficking, drug trafficking, and money laundering. The Anti-Money Laundering Act and the Corporate Transparency Act will provide new tools to crack down on opioid and human traffickers, terrorists, weapons dealers, and others who use anonymous shell companies to launder the proceeds of their crimes, and on big banks that enable criminals or have lax anti-money laundering compliance programs. More intensive monitoring of suspicious activity will allow us to prosecute and hold perpetrators accountable. In addition, I worked to include a provision to create human trafficking coordinators in each federal judicial district and a National Trafficking Coordinator at the Department of Justice in the Abolish Human Trafficking Act, which became law in 2017. The legislation also expanded support programs and services for survivors of human trafficking.
We must do more to protect at-risk populations from traffickers and to provide justice, restitution, and healing for trafficking survivors. As anti-human trafficking legislation comes before the Senate, I will keep your thoughts in mind. Thank you again for your advocacy on this issue.
Sincerely,
Sherrod Brown
United States Senator

I got three takeaways from this lengthy epistle:

He’s done a lot of things which will aid human trafficking victims, and that’s great.
But, he never said once whether he supported the bill I wrote to him about or not. At the end, I got a solicitous, “I’ll keep your thoughts in mind…” Where have I heard that before? Typical Washington speak.
Rob Portman (R) never even responded. Typical Washington non-speak.